This invention relates to a monitoring and tracking system for use with a sports timing system such as the digital clock utilized in basketball games.
In many sports, such as basketball, the contest is divided into specific time periods or durations of play which requires accurate timing. The play periods are frequently interrupted for time outs for official or television commercial reasons, the limited number of time outs allocated to each team, and for fouls called by the officials. Such fouls or actions requiring penalties must be assessed to the player committing the foul, and play is stopped to allow, for example, any applicable free throws resulting from the foul. In addition, officials may stop play for a wet floor or an injured player.
As a result, the official time clock is frequently started and stopped upon such actions of any of the officials or the timekeeper. The officials signal the stop and start of play by whistles and the corresponding starting and stopping of the official time clock may be accomplished by the timekeeper pressing a button, or accomplished remotely and automatically by the officials' whistles using equipment such as shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,293,354, issued Mar. 8, 1994.
However, problems may be encountered when there is an inadvertent blowing of the whistle by an official who may be reluctant to own up to the error, or even by a spectator, or inadvertent pressing of the start/stop button by the timekeeper, and in identifying which official blew his whistle when there are multiple whistles blown. When calls by officials are in question, exact timing becomes important. Sports associations such as the Basketball Operations of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and NBA and college team offices routinely review videotapes of all games in their quality and accuracy review of the calls by the officials, and to insure and preserve the integrity of the game. Officials do make mistakes which can affect which team wins a particular game. When officials are later determined to have made a serious error, particularly one affecting the outcome of a game, they may be punished such as by suspension for a specified period. The potential of after-game detection and punishment of officiating error encourages diligence and correct performance by officials. Moreover, because of potential bias or other improprieties, it is important that official calls be scrutinized, even after a game is completed.
Since officials frequently signal a game stopping event such as a foul by three or four quick whistle blasts, the blasts of two officials may be simultaneous or overlapping. An analysis for quality control review of the event is helped by the precise recording of the whistle blasts or officials involved and specific sequence of events.
Television replays are not designed to present an accurate review of the actions of officials and do not identify who blew a whistle first in the case of multiple whistles. Moreover, if television playback is slowed down to closely examine a play, the whistle blasts frequently becomes inaudible.
It is also desirable that the electronic equipment, called a beltpack, worn by each official in a remotely actuable sports timing system be identified for quality control checking of the overall timing system and the equipment involved, including the battery strength of the beltpack.
As a result, it is highly desirous to have a record of each starting and stopping of play along with the identity of the initator and equipment initiating such action, to be able to display such information during the game, and to preserve and transmit such information to associations and others either during or after the game.
In addition, security of the remotely actuable system becomes of great importance to prevent inadvertent actuation by sources other than the officials.